A friend in need, is a true friend indeed
by belang
Summary: Early academy days. Kirk was seriously injured by an incognito enemy and Bones may be his only hope. Pike and Chapel as supporting character with Dr. Puri and Admiral Barnett. Why Kirk and Bones are like brothers.


_**Author's note: **__Please, please, please review. It's a great way to enhance my writing and it's nice to know that someone had dropped by and read. I'll even accept a 'hi'! :)_

_I've posted everything in one go (hence another reason to review), as God knows when I'll be able to do this again. (My first fic was posted like a year ago!). I'm not a full, fledged Trekker so please bear with me. _

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Trek.

_**Monday, 12**__**th**__** January 2257 Time: 2254**_

Leonard McCoy pushed his wheelchair carefully towards the sturdy, metal bed at the end of the white room. The antiseptic smell penetrating his nostrils didn't bother him a bit. He's well accustomed to it by now. The only thing he's unfamiliar was seeing his best friend lying unconscious in a hospital bed, deathly pale and lifeless.

McCoy approached the young man's figure slowly. Only the intermittent creaking of the wheelchair and the constant, mild beeping noises of the vital monitor broke the dead air. He held his friend's clammy right hand gently and closed his eyes tightly. They were already red and teary. He prayed hard that James Tiberius Kirk still had eight lives to go.

* * *

**_2255_**

The year was 2255. Two very different people met incidentally on a small, shuttle heading towards Starfleet.

A young and smart but hotheaded and brash kid with dark blond hair called James Kirk finally decided that he needed a direction in his life. Born in the midst of a Starship Federation tragedy that killed his father prematurely, Kirk took up the challenge to enlist in Starfleet from a man called Christopher Pike, a captain serving the Starfleet Academy as a recruiting officer.

On the other hand, after losing everything including his only daughter in a messy divorced, Dr. Leonard McCoy concluded that Starfleet was the only hope of establishing a new life, despite his aviophobia and what not.

Ranting about the health hazard of space and stating 'I may throw up on you' might not be the usual catch phrase in your typical breaking the ice, but those were the words McCoy said to Kirk, followed by a drink. It was the beginning of an epic friendship.

* * *

_**Saturday, 10**__**th**__** January 2257 Time: 2020**_

The dormitory door whooshed open as McCoy, smartly dressed in a fresh black and white suit, walked through hastily, heading towards his side of the room that he shared with Kirk. His eyes darted to the left and right of his immaculate bed and organized study table and then to his wristwatch. He shook his head, flustered.

"Dammit! I'm freaking late!" he muttered under his breath with a heavy Southern accent.

He had a blind date (kindly set up by Kirk, the great chick magnet, _thank you_ _very much_) in a fancy restaurant in about fifteen minutes and an opera to follow and had he not forgotten where he put the bloody opera ticket, he would've been at the restaurant already by now.

McCoy could hear the shower running from the back of the room. Disorganized as he could be, Kirk actually had a memory like an elephant. Perhaps he could help McCoy traced the damn ticket.

McCoy treaded quickly past Kirk's clothes and his stacks of books all sprawled on the floor on his side of the room and nearly fell down on his knees when his sharp eyes caught the tiny blots of dark red stain on their cream colored carpet. They trailed in a haphazard way, each step becoming bigger and bigger approaching towards the bathroom.

"Kirk?" No answer. Following the trail with an eyebrow perched, a perturbed McCoy called out again. Still no reply yet the shower was still running.

The door was ajar when McCoy pushed it slowly, " Dammit, Jim!"

Jim was sitting in the shower, soaking wet with his back supported mostly by the shower wall, bending in pain with his right arm pressing heavily on his right, wounded side. He was breathing with his mouth opened; his pink, full lips now had a tinge of blue with a small cut at the side. His right temple had started to swell with a dark red bruise. Kirk's battered body looked like he had had a long and horrendous fight with whomever that had tried to harm him. McCoy's skillful physician's eyes could spot that Kirk was tachypnoiec. His white V-neck T-shirt was covered in blood, more around his abdomen than anywhere else. He was shivering; the running water was set up at an inappropriate temperature.

McCoy impulsively turned off the water, grabbed a towel and came to his side, supporting him in his arm while compressing the wound. " Jim, what the hell happened? Who did this to you?"

Jim's glazed blue eyes darted aimlessly before focusing on McCoy's. In a ragged breath, he stuttered, " Sta..st…stabbed..He…was...."

Kirk was trying really hard to concentrate. He squeezed his eyes shut and swayed his head in frustration." Bones. I…I can't remember…why can't I remember?"

McCoy was curious to enquire further, but his doctor's complexion took over when Jim doubled over and cried in pain. Black and white suit now soaked red and wet, McCoy carefully laid Jim on his back and like a flash went to the room's intercom and pressed the emergency alert button.

* * *

_**Saturday, 10**__**th**__** January 2257 Time: 2154**_

McCoy was pacing the surgical wing's hallway in distraught. What did the man want with Jim? Did Jim get involved with a nasty bar brawl that's gone too far? He was trying hard to come out with a logical answer that he didn't realize a beautiful, blond woman was passing by from the opposite direction and he accidentally stepped on her foot.

" Good God! I'm sorry! I'm clearly s…"

He was cut off swiftly, " It's okay. I'm all right. Dr. McCoy, I presume?"

" Yes. I do apologize. Have we met?"

There were too many things going on in McCoy's head right now that trying to figure out how this lady know his name was the last thing he wanted to do.

She held out her hands, " Christine Chapel. I'm a nurse assisting Dr. Puri in the surgery. I'm here just to inform you that he'll be out shortly to have a word with you about Cadet Kirk's condition. "

"Thank you, Miss Chapel." McCoy shook her hands and sat on one of the chair along the corridor.

He sighed and cupped his face with both hands, rubbing his temples. He was a messed, covered in his closest friend's blood and he's worried sick about him. He's tired but angry yet he felt absolutely hopeless. For a millisecond, his mind wandered off to his only daughter that would never know him that well as a father and he regretted this wholeheartedly. He had to stay away from his estranged wife and he had no family. No one, until he met James Kirk. The kid who was dubbed by Pike as '_the only genius-level repeat offender in the midwest' _was the _closest _family member that he could ever have. Albeit an annoying one most of the time; pranking him non-stop, setting him up with girls that he disliked, hijacking his precious study hours to be a plus one to the bar, waking him up at an unGodly hour post crazy medical shift just to attend to Kirk's brawl injuries and tons of other stuffs that had pushed his red button million of times. But he stayed. He didn't run away from Kirk.

He stayed because he knew Kirk inside out. He's a nice kid with a good heart. He would never forget the time that Kirk saved his lives or his _ass such as l_ooking after him whenever he's unwell especially during the fortunately _mild_ variant of Andorian shingle virus epidemic he contracted in Andoria, patiently teaching him engineering and starship 101 when he'd already gone berserk and ready to burn those damn lectures away and the time of Father's Day celebration, when he missed his daughter so much and Kirk risked adding his own lists of offends by secretly contacting McCoy's daughter just so he could listened to her voice.

These were what brothers do; looking after each other. Kirk had a difficult childhood. He wanted a father figure but he got an abusive stepfather instead. He longed for his mother's love but she escaped from him as his uncanny resemblance to his father painfully reminded her of her husband's death. So, Kirk was left on his own, just like McCoy. But Kirk decided he needed to show his bravado to the world hence the brash, cocky, I-don't-give-a-F*** attitude. McCoy simply knew them as Kirk's facade.

Chapel was about to leave when she turned back to McCoy and spoke softly, " I'm really sorry for what had happened to your friend, Dr. McCoy. I sincerely hope he'll get through this."

McCoy half smiled and mouthed thanks.

* * *

" I've spoken to Winona about her son, McCoy. She's in distraught and the fact that it will take her another two days to reach earth is not really helping either."

A middle aged and a bespectacled man named Dr. Puri sighed and clicked on Kirk's file on his computer.

" Since you are listed as his next of kin too, I'm obliged to informed you."

'_I'm a doctor, not a…dammit I AM a doctor, just go ahead. Tell me the damage straight away!' _

Holding himself from saying them out loud as Dr. Puri was his senior supervisor, McCoy just stared at him and waited for him to explain.

" His solitary kidney is beyond repair, McCoy. The multiple lacerations were worse than I thought." Puri stood up and sat on the edge of his office table slowly. He showed the anatomical diagram on his screen.

" Solitary?" McCoy gaped. He thought he knew Kirk inside out just minutes ago.

" Congenital." Puri replied.

" The best thing to do right now is a nephrectomy and a renal transplant. But, we need a donor within the next forty-eight hours. Prognosis will decline rapidly after that, as you are aware. We've checked our medical database, Winona is… unfortunately, unsuitable. Until then, we're managing Cadet Kirk conservatively. I'm so sorry, McCoy. We are doing our very best to save him." Dr. Puri put his right hand on McCoy's slumped shoulder.

McCoy's brain froze. He'd been well trained in his bedside manners and ethical conduct when disclosing bad news to his patients and relatives during his medical profession but tonight; he didn't think for a nanosecond that he was on the receiving end.

If only Kirk had a sibling, an aunt or an uncle or cousins! At least, they will be on the database as most relatives usually consented to be on the medical data and at least one of them might have been a suitable donor.

"Dr. McCoy?" Puri gently shook him.

McCoy wouldn't allow his best friend to succumb to a no-win scenario. " Test me."

" I beg your pardon?" Puri raised his eyebrows.

McCoy repeated confidently. " Test me, Dr. Puri. If I'm a suitable donor, we can do the surgery tomorrow. I've done my nephrology fellowship a few years back and I know how fast we can do this."

Dr. Puri returned to his seat. " Dr. McCoy, I know Cadet Kirk is your best friend but donating a kidney is something you just don't decide in mere minutes. I don't want you to feel the pressure of donating and regretting it later. I'm sure you're aware of the psychosocial evaluation and all."

Dr. Leonard McCoy was firmed on his final decision.

* * *

_**Sunday 11**__**th**__** January 2257 Time : 1100**_

They were two episodes in his life that had made Dr. Leonard McCoy very, very anxious. First, was his wedding. Second, was during the agonizing wait of his prematurely born daughter. This was considered to be his third.

" I'm glad to inform you that all of the preadmission tests are successful, Dr. McCoy." A woman called Dr. Boyce handed McCoy a brown disc. McCoy had the urge of jumping up and down and kissed the aging specialist.

" That's your hard copy." She stated. " As your nephrologist and your surgeon, I will go through with you all the information that you need to know and after reading those thoroughly, if you are happy to proceed, I will need you to give a consent to the surgery."

" I will need a moment to contact Mrs. Kirk, if I may?" McCoy asked politely.

She nodded." That is advisable."

* * *

The surgery took almost five hours. McCoy had an uncomplicated recovery as his operation was done laparoscopically. He regained consciousness within an hour.

A gentle hand tapped him on his left arm. "Dr. McCoy?"

He turned to the left and winced," Dammit! That actually hurts!."

"Should I increase the analgesic dose, then?" Nurse Chapel enquired with a concern look.

" I'm sorry. I'm usually very polite." He grunted and nodded his head slowly.

" A little birdie told me a different story, though." Chapel smiled.

McCoy gave a small laughed and regretted it because his abdomen was a little sore but he quickly changed the topic. " Do you know how Kirk is doing, Miss Chapel?"

" His vitals are stable but he's still heavily sedated. I heard that he's going to be extubated soon."

" That's a good sign." McCoy was relieved.

" Dr. McCoy."

" Please. Call me Leonard." McCoy interjected.

" Leonard, I was quite rude to you when we met last night. I was actually in a hurry for an appointment that I left in a rush. My better judgment as a nurse should've been different." Chapel flushed a bright red and suddenly avoided direct eye contact with McCoy.

' _There, I've said it.' She thought._

McCoy paused for a few seconds " Did you make it?"

"Unfortunately, no." she answered. Chapel brought her gaze back to McCoy but he was already asleep from exhaustion and the sedative.

* * *

**_Monday 12_****_th_****_ January 2257 Time : 2350_**

Kirk's third and fourth fingers twitched gently. He tried to spread them but felt that someone clasped his right hand loosely. He opened his eyes groggily. It was quite dark and he's having difficulty focusing. It took about ten minutes before he could see a tuft of hair beside his right arm.

He didn't feel any pain.

'_Great! Finally, a pain killer that actually works on me.' _Kirk grinned at his own joke.

He could feel a nasal prong on his face and felt a tug of intravenous insertion on his left arm. Another sensation of a tube was coming from his upper left chest and two from his abdomen. The only tube he's not too happy about was the one underneath the soft, white blanket.

'_Oh, God! I've got a urinary catheter in?'_ He winced automatically.

He started to get a little uncomfortable and tried to push himself upwards. The sudden movement startled McCoy.

" Yu….ms…ur…bl..d." Kirk attempted to start a coherent conversation.

He tried again, taking a small breath after each word, "You…missed…your….blind... date."

McCoy now fully alert propped up on his elbows and smiled from ear to ear and Kirk wished he had a damn camera to capture it.

* * *

**_2258_**

It was another busy Monday in the Starfleet Academy and cadets in the red uniforms were rushing busily in and out of the huge building to attend their classes. The weather was sunny and the cloud was so clear that the Golden Gate Bridge could be viewed from miles away.

Two very popular final year cadets were descending the steps of the academy when the younger, dark blond one turned his head ninety degrees to winked at a new female cadet who passed by. The older one rolled his eyes disapprovingly.

McCoy was shaking his head and snorted when his best friend stated that he would give the Kobayashi Maru Test a third attempt. He thought that the very idea was absurd, as no one had ever passed the test but he'll be there for him. Seconds later, his eyebrows shot to his hairline as he looked at Kirk incredulously when Kirk also decided to abandon him to 'go and study' at that very moment.

Kirk gave him a goofy grin. " What? It's a laborious test, Bones! You expect me just chilling around? C'mon."

He added, " Besides I don't want to disturb your study date with Miss Chapel tonight."

"Ha ha." McCoy smacked Kirk's head non-to gently and scowled.

The banter between Leonard 'Bones' McCoy and James T. Kirk never seem to cease. But since the nightmare they both went through about a year ago, their friendship and brotherly bond had strengthened tremendously.

* * *

_Meanwhile in Admiral Barnett's office…_

" Report, Captain." A stoic African American man spoke to Captain Pike with his hands clasped at his back.

" Cadet Kirk is doing fine, sir. He's attempting the Kobayashi Maru test again tomorrow. "

"I see." The admiral seemed pleasantly amused by the determined young man.

Captain Pike paused, " Permission to speak freely, sir." Admiral Barnett nodded once.

" We've detected another pattern of astroanomaly this morning, and it's mimicking the anomaly that occurred in January 2257 the night that Cadet Kirk was stabbed. I've increased the security surveillance throughout the faculty. Security personnel had also been tailing Kirk wherever he goes."

Pike continued, both hands at his back in a tight fist, "Sir, I've promised George Kirk that I would look after his son before he died. I will keep my word. Whoever or whatever that is trying to kill Jim Kirk will be caught and brought to justice."

* * *

**_Saturday 16_****_th_****_ January 2258 Time : 2145_**

Pardek materialized quietly into the Starfleet Academy within seconds. He'd waited nearly ten years to return to this place. He vowed that he would never fail his father again. He gripped the teral'n hard, scouring around the room with dark eyes full of vengeance and spitted angrily when he found no one.

His small mouth sneered evilly when he heard a barely there footsteps towards the room. He positioned himself carefully, ready to charge whenever the door opened.

"_James Tiberius Kirk! You will die tonight!"_

Whooshed! The door flung opened and Pardek charged forward with his teral'n. He didn't expect a nadion particle beam heading straight to his chest. He tried to disengage his Nam'ek to wipe the memory of all the armed forces men who appeared out of nowhere but he was too late. Within less than a second, Pardek was disintegrated.

Captain Pike put his phaser down and inhaled a breath of relieved.

_**The End.**_

Ok, peeps. Stories finished. :)

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